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"Fox has admitted to telling lies about Dominion that caused enormous damage to my company, our employees and our customers," Poulos said in a statement. Fox anchor Neil Cavuto broke into his news show "Your World" about 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to report the settlement. In February court filings, Dominion cited a trove of internal communications in which Murdoch and other Fox figures privately acknowledged that the vote-rigging claims made about Dominion on-air were false. Dominion said Fox amplified the untrue claims to boost its ratings and prevent its viewers from migrating to other media competitors on the right. ANOTHER LAWSUIT PENDINGAdding to the legal risks for Fox, another U.S. voting technology company, Smartmatic, is pursuing its own defamation lawsuit seeking $2.7 billion in damages in a New York state court.

☆ After Fox Settlement, Assault on Media Protections Is Likely to Continue
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( David Enrich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The last-minute settlement of Dominion Voting Systems’ lawsuit against Fox News defused a high-stakes test of the First Amendment protections afforded to the media. But more challenges are likely on the horizon. The Dominion lawsuit, in which the voting machine company sought $1.6 billion in damages from Fox News for spreading falsehoods about Dominion’s role in the 2020 elections, had the potential to reshape the debate. If Fox News lost, a powerful news organization faced the prospect of record-breaking damages. But a victory for the cable news network would have raised questions — even among lawyers who represent the news media — about whether federal courts’ interpretations of the First Amendment made it impossible to hold anyone accountable for reckless and damaging lies.

"Fox has admitted to telling lies about Dominion that caused enormous damage to my company, our employees and our customers," Poulos said in a statement. Shares of Fox Corp closed up slightly at $34 per share, but were down 1% in after-hours trading after the settlement amount was disclosed. Fox Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch told Wall Street analysts in February that the company had about $4 billion cash on hand. [1/5] Dominion CEO John Poulos and lawyers speak to the media after Dominion Voting Systems and Fox settled a defamation lawsuit for $787.5 million, avoiding trial, over Fox's coverage of debunked election-rigging claims, in Delaware Superior Court, in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. April 18, 2023. Fox Corp reported nearly $14 billion in annual revenue last year.

☆ CNN insiders say CEO Chris Licht is standing behind star anchor Don Lemon after reported allegations of misogyny
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

CNN is responding to a Variety article accusing Don Lemon of misogyny and other problematic behavior. "CNN This Morning," which Lemon hosts with Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, was launched in November, part of a bet by CNN parent Warner Bros. "CNN This Morning" averaged 359,000 viewers in the first quarter, or when the HLN simulcast is included, 438,000 viewers. Collins, meanwhile is getting a new primetime slot on CNN, the network confirmed to the New York Post. Lemon had suggested on "CNN This Morning" that Nikki Haley was not a viable presidential candidate because she "isn't in her prime."

☆ CNN staffers are divided after a bombshell report accuses Don Lemon of misogyny. Insiders say it's 'another shit show' for network chief Chris Licht.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

CNN is responding to a Variety article accusing Don Lemon of misogyny and other problematic behavior. CNN is defending Don Lemon after a bombshell report by Variety about the network's star, while insiders are speculating about his ability to survive the latest blow. "CNN This Morning," which Lemon hosts with Poppy Harlow, and Kaitlan Collins, was launched in November, part of a bet by CNN parent Warner Bros. "CNN This Morning" averaged 359,000 viewers in the first quarter, or when the HLN simulcast is included, 438,000 viewers. Lemon had suggested on "CNN This Morning" that Nikki Haley was not a viable presidential candidate because she "isn't in her prime."

WILMINGTON, Delaware, March 22 (Reuters) - Lawyers for Fox Corp (FOXA.O) and Dominion Voting Systems clashed in court on Wednesday over whether top Fox executives including Chairman Rupert Murdoch should be considered liable in the voting-technology company's $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit over 2020 U.S. election vote-rigging claims aired by Fox News. Dominion has argued that liability for the claims extends to the highest echelons of Fox. A Fox lawyer disputed the claim on Wednesday, arguing that executives including Murdoch were not directly involved in the allegedly defamatory television appearances by Trump lawyers, who falsely claimed Dominion stole the election. Dominion lawyer Justin Nelson argued that evidence amassed during the discovery phase of the case, including emails, shows that top Fox executives did not believe the claims but aired them anyway in pursuit of ratings. Dominion maintains that Fox knowingly spread false information or acted with reckless disregard for the truth, thereby meeting the "actual malice" standard necessary to win a defamation case.

Murphy sought to provide context for the defamatory statements alleged by Dominion and argued that reasonable viewers understood that the claims aired on Fox News were mere allegations. The Fox News statements cited by Dominion included a Twitter post by former Fox Business host Lou Dobbs that included pro-Trump hashtags. Lawyer Justin Nelson answered no, saying Dominion's allegation is that Fox knew Trump's lawyers were going to make false claims but hosted them on its shows anyway. Abby Grossberg, who was head of booking for Fox News host Tucker Carlson, said coaching and intimidation by Fox lawyers before her deposition left her "feeling pressured not to name names or to implicate others, in particular prominent male on-air personalities and Fox News executives." Fox said in a statement on Tuesday that Grossberg's "allegations in connection with the Dominion case are baseless and we will vigorously defend Fox against all of her claims."

☆ Tucker Carlson and Fox News execs privately mocked Rudy Giuliani's post-election press conference where hair dye dripped down his head
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Tucker Carlson and Fox News executives privately mocked Rudy Giuliani's post-election press conference. Newly released texts show Carlson saying his "mind is blown" at hair dye dripping down Giuliani's face. One of Carlson's producers called the press conference "desperate and deranged." In one text exchange during Rudy Giuliani's now-infamous press conference on November 19, 2020, Tucker Carlson and his executive producer Justin Wells ridiculed Giuliani. Fox News executive Ron Mitchell ultimately said it would be smart not to cover the press conference.

☆ Steve Bannon's attack on 'oligarch' Rupert Murdoch shows just how far the rift between Fox News and Trump allies has grown
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Fox News bosses criticized Trump while promoting his election fraud claims, court papers show. The speech marks an astonishing deterioration of the once symbiotic relationship between Trump and Fox News, which remains the top-rated cable news network. They played a key role in promoting Trump's populist polices, and in denigrating the then-president's opponents and critics. Fox News faces paying a potential $1.6 billion in damages for promoting Trump's election fraud conspiracy theories in 2020. Ron DeSantis, rumored to be preparing a rival campaign to Trump's, while reportedly imposing a "soft ban" on Trump.

In a text message with his producer, Alex Pfeiffer, Mr. Carlson appeared livid that viewers were turning against the network. On Nov. 7, 2020, Mr. Carlson told Mr. Pfeiffer that claims about manipulated software were “absurd.” Mr. Pfeiffer replied later that there was not enough evidence of fraud to swing the election. A video of Carlson from “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” Said publicly on Nov. 19, 2020 Carlson: “We did not dismiss any of it. It aired on the programs hosted by Mr. Dobbs, Ms. Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro. On Feb. 5, 2021, one day after Smartmatic filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox, Fox Business canceled “Lou Dobbs Tonight.” At the time, Fox said it regularly reviewed its lineup.

☆ Tucker Carlson told his producer Trump is 'the undisputed world champion' of destroying things and could ruin Fox News if it didn't back his election lies
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Sonam Sheth | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tucker Carlson called Trump the "undisputed world champion" of destroying things, per a new court filing. Carlson texted his producer after the 2020 election that Trump could "easily destroy" Fox News if "we play it wrong." "We worked really hard to build what we have," Carlson texted his producer, Alex Pfeiffer, on November 5, 2020, according to the filing. At another point the same day, Carlson texted that "we've got to be incredibly careful right now. Dominion became a focal point for Trumpworld's election-related conspiracy theories shortly after Election Day 2020.

☆ Dominion Voting attorney calls out Fox for missing evidence in defamation lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

While this issue was already raised in July and January, the Dominion attorney said Wednesday they are still missing documents. We pointed out categories of missing documents for both Fox News and Fox Corp that are still missing. Fox attorney Dan Webb, a veteran trial attorney added to Fox's roster last year, said he disagreed with much of what Nelson said during the hearing Wednesday. Dominion brought the defamation lawsuit against Fox and its right-wing cable news networks, Fox News and Fox Business, seeking $1.6 billion in damages. "We are put in this impossible situation of preparing for trial where there are missing documents," Nelson said.

☆ Rupert Murdoch deposition in Dominion-Fox lawsuit delayed until next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp and co-chairman of 21st Century Fox, arrives at the Sun Valley Resort of the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, July 10, 2018 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch is now slated to appear for a deposition later in January as part of Dominion Voting's defamation lawsuit against the company and its cable news networks. The deposition is set to occur Thursday and Friday next week, according to court filings. Most recently, his son and Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch faced questioning as part of the lawsuit. The trial is set to begin on April 17, with pre-trial conferences in the days prior, according to court filings.

☆ House speaker chaos signals Donald Trump’s shrinking influence
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Trump's allies repeatedly rejected Kevin McCarthy as House speaker, displaying his power's limits. A week of House speaker chaos revealed one thing about Donald Trump: He can't get his MAGA house in order. The drama started on Tuesday, and it wasn't until Friday that McCarthy managed to make headway in flipping members' votes. "The president needs to tell Kevin McCarthy that, 'Sir, you do not have the votes, and it's time to withdraw.'" House members who are responding to the MAGA base have no reason to fear Trump on this, he said.

☆ Trump invited the press to a 'media availability' slot at Mar-a-Lago. Not a single cable news network covered it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Donald Trump invited the press to a "media availability" slot at Mar-a-Lago on New Year's Eve. No cable news network covered it, not even Newsmax, according to Raw Story. But in a likely blow to Trump's ego, not a single cable news network covered it, according to Raw Story. On Saturday, MSNBC host Alex Witt announced that the former president would host a surprise New Year's Eve "media availability" slot at approximately 9 p.m. on New Year's Eve. A video of the "media availability" slot, which was covered by the fringe conservative media outlet Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN), shows that Trump spoke about the FBI, his 2024 presidential campaign, and Russia's war in Ukraine.

☆ Disney's streaming platform poised to take on competition with new ad-tier
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The streaming service also offers plans that include Hulu and ESPN+. In a cautionary tail, cable news network CNN in April shutdown its streaming service, CNN+, after just a month. Building and growing an industry-leading streaming service has required Disney to incur high costs along the way. Analysts at the bank said they were "bullish" on the streaming giant's new advertising tier to help churn, or the rate at which customers give up the streaming service. Importantly, we are eager to hear Iger's position on the future of Disney's streaming service, given the recent change in leadership.

☆ Newsmax CEO reveals how he's challenging Fox News for right-leaning viewers, why his network won't endorse candidates, and why his friend Trump shouldn't run in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy says it challenges Fox News for conservative viewers but also wants Democrats. Ruddy said Donald Trump shouldn't run in 2024 because "he's a guy that doesn't need the presidency." Here's why a media CEO who considers Donald Trump a good friend doesn't think his good friend should run for president again. Let's talk about the Arizona call[during the 2020 election]: Fox News called that election within 20 minutes. I would prefer Trump not run because I don't think it's good for him personally.

☆ CNN lays off hundreds of staffers after business review − read the memo
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Hundreds of CNN employees were notified of layoffs Thursday as part of CEO Chris Licht's efforts to transform the cable news network. Licht sent a memo to all staffers Thursday afternoon after the news was delivered to employees, which included long-time HLN anchor Robin Meade and reporter Chris Cillizza. ProgrammingOur programming teams will see some reductions in show staffs and, in some cases, the combination of teams for our dayside and weekend lineups. CNN DigitalCNN Digital conducted an exercise earlier this fall to ensure they were best structured for the future. I am proud of this CNN team, and together we will ensure CNN continues to be the world's most vital source of news and information.

My family has a Thanksgiving tradition. Countless people who don’t — or can’t (or both) — eat traditional Thanksgiving food such as turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie will be the butt of the joke when families gather around the table on Thursday. Or what if the pumpkin pie is so good one slice isn’t enough? I’d love to start a new Thanksgiving tradition this year: sitting poolside in Palm Springs or getting sand between my toes as I hike at Malaga Cove would be great. I’ll be with my relatives and a punchline to a joke that never was funny, because that’s my family’s Thanksgiving tradition.

☆ CNN’s Programming Chief Michael Bass Is Set to Exit By Year’s End
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Alyssa Lukpat | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

CNN’s headquarters in Atlanta. The cable news network will launch a search for a new programming chief, CNN Chairman Chris Licht said. Michael Bass , CNN’s programming chief and a longtime ally of former President Jeff Zucker , is set to leave the network at the end of the year, CNN said. Chris Licht , CNN’s chairman and chief executive, wrote in an email to the company Monday that Mr. Bass decided to leave CNN after steering it through turbulent times. Mr. Licht didn’t say why Mr. Bass made the decision.

☆ CNN’s Programming Chief Michael Bass Is Set to Exit by Year’s End
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Alyssa Lukpat | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ CNN chief Chris Licht has big ideas, but employees are nervous, and more job cuts are coming
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

Courtesy: CNNShifting from ZuckerPart of Licht's challenge as the new leader of CNN is he's not the old leader. There's also a hangover effect from the sudden collapse of CNN+, which Zucker pushed relentlessly as the future of the business. The comments heightened anxiety for many CNN staffers, according to six people who were at the company at the time. The changes should also bring workflow alignments to CNN digital and linear, which should help both entities' content and organization. CNN still hasn't named a chief digital officer, although the company's job posting now says it's filled.

☆ Top Fox News personalities face questioning as Dominion Voting's defamation lawsuit moves forward
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-02 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Alexi Rosenfeld | Getty ImagesNext week, Maria Bartiromo will join the parade of Fox personalities who are being called to answer questions in Dominion Voting Systems' defamation lawsuit against the network. Dominion has argued that Fox Corp. 's Fox News and Fox Business made false claims that its voting machines rigged the results of the 2020 election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. But in December, the Delaware judge overseeing the Dominion case denied Fox News' request to have the case dismissed. Fox has asked the court to keep all of the collected materials private, claiming that Dominion mischaracterized what the documents show as actual malice. FOX Business' "Mornings With Maria" anchor Maria Bartiromo at Fox Business Network Studios on April 6, 2018 in New York City.

☆ How Rupert Murdoch’s Empire of Influence Remade the World
▼ + stars: | 2019-04-03 | by ( Jonathan Mahler | Jim Rutenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +61 min

Murdoch family, 1987: Lachlan, James, Anna and Rupert. The second season of HBO’s “Succession,” whose fictional media family, the Roys, bears a striking resemblance to the Murdochs, airs this summer. ‘A press dictatorship’To understand how the Murdoch empire works, it is essential to return to its origins. The bigger Murdoch’s empire became, the more power he had to clear away obstacles to further its expansion. Like his father, Lachlan considered the idea of meddling with such an important profit driver a form of madness.

Persons: ‘, Rupert Murdoch, Murdoch, Jerry Hall, Lachlan’s, Lachlan, —, Hall, President Trump, Theresa May, Robert A, consummating, Rupert, Elisabeth, Anna, James, David Graves, Rex, Prudence, Murdoch’s, Patricia Booker, Anna Mann, jockeying, Murdoch didn’t, ” Murdoch, Ron Galella, ‘ I’ve, Graham, Jeff Bezos, William R, Hearst, George Hearst, Ochs, Sulzberger, Arnold Newman, HBO’s, Australia —, “, don’t, Trump, Rutger Bregman, Tucker Carlson, Carlson, — Murdoch, Dow Jones, Bancroft, ’, Keith Murdoch, Keith, Joseph Lyons, Tom Roberts’s, ” Lyons, ”, I’ll, ” Rupert Murdoch, Aubrey Hart, Roberts, ” Keith, Margaret Thatcher’s, Thatcher, revel, John Major, Neil Kinnock, Joseph Stalin, Britain’s, Roy Cohn —, Joseph McCarthy, Ronald Reagan’s, Roger Stone Jr, Murdoch weaponize, Reagan’s, Stone, Reagan, George H.W, Bush, L.A, Ted Turner, Roger Ailes, Nixon, George H.W . Bush, Time Warner, Rudolph W, Giuliani, Post —, Fox, Monica Lewinsky, ” David Frum, George W, Sumner, Peter Mathew, Fairfax, Chase Carey, Talib Kweli, Rawkus, Kathryn Hufschmid, Kathryn, ” Lachlan, Sarah O’Hare, Lachlan doesn’t, Chris Mitchell, — he’d, Wendi Murdoch, Wendi, Jules Stein, Leonardo DiCaprio, James warily, Ivanka Trump, Ivanka’s, Jared Kushner, Kushner, Ivanka, Wendi’s, Donald Trump, Ailes, Rudolph Giuliani’s, Corey Lewandowski, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Bret Baier’s, Baier, Stephen F, Hayes, ” Trump, Tell Hayes, Sean Hannity, Sinclair —, Doug Mills, Megyn Kelly, — “ You’ve, — Trump, Kelly, Charles Krauthammer, John Kasich, James’s, Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair, Hillary, Clinton, United States —, Paul Gigot, Obama, Al Drago, Anthony Hilton, Hilton, Rodrigo Duterte, Viktor Orban, europhiles, Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson, David Cameron, feckless, Leveson, Robinson, Mick Jagger, Margaret Thatcher, Nigel Farage, Evgeny Lebedev, Carlo Allegri, Murdoch lounging, What’s, lodestar, David Rhodes, Rhodes, Ben Rhodes, Kevin Hagen, he’d, Trump’s, Jeff Rovin, Satan, James Murdoch, Clint Spaulding, Patrick McMullan, James Stavridis Organizations: Northern, Fox News Channel, Sun, European Union —, Downing, Walt Disney Company, Century Fox, Disney, Getty, News Corp, Trust, Washington Post, Hearst Corporation, United, The New York Times, Arnold Newman Properties, Fox, White, Broadway, Fox News, Trump White, Street, Melbourne Herald, Weekly Times, ”, Eugenics Society of Victoria, Oxford, Murdoch, Fleet, The, British government’s, Sky Television, Britain’s “, Labor, Trump, Gov, Reagan’s, New, New York Post, The Boston Herald, CNN, Time, Republican, Post, Pew, Republicans, CBS, Viacom, British Sky Broadcasting, Australia spearfishing, Harvard, The Harvard, Rawkus Records, Princeton, Kawasaki, Hollywood, New York Observer, York mayoral, Fox & Friends, Trump International Golf Club, Gateway, America, New York Times, Clinton Climate Initiative, Labor Party centrist, Pacific Partnership, Tea Party, European Union, Freedom Party, Nazi, London, Press Association, Associated Press, Brexit Times, United Nations, Reuters, Photographers, CBS News, Democrat Locations: Macedonia, Southern, San Francisco, Los Angeles, California, United States, Britain, London, Australia, Australian, Sydney, Lachlan, Davos, New York, Dutch, Iraq, British, Gallipoli, Adelaide, White Australia, Luxembourg, York, George H.W ., Midtown Manhattan, Manhattan, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Indonesia, Oregon, Fiji, Murdoch, Cavan, Beverly Hills, L.A, Caribbean, earshot, West Palm, Des Moines, Iowa, Ohio, Clinton, Trump, Downing, Brussels, Europe, Philippines, Manila, Bangkok, Cannes, “, Trump’s, Scotland, Aberdeen, Ailes’s, Russian

☆ The Tucker Carlson origin story
▼ + stars: | 1998-01-28 | by ( Aaron Short | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +57 min

Tucker Carlson is remembered as a provocateur and gleeful contrarian by those who knew him in his early days. It was Tucker Carlson. (Note on style: Tucker Carlson and the members of his family are referred to here by their first names to avoid confusion.) In 1979, Richard Carlson married Patricia Swanson, heiress to the Swanson frozen foods empire that perfected the frozen Salisbury steak for hassle-free dinners. Tucker Carlson attended St. George’s School, a boarding school starting at age 14.

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